Heartbeat
by Helena Chaos
Summary: Helena abrubtly leaves the X-Men, leaving the Institute with out their vital heartbeat, especially Remy and Logan. How can they bring her back? R & R please!
1. 1

Helena sat back in her rocking chair, rocking back and forth, creaking as though she alone was the heartbeat. In a way, though, she was a heartbeat. When she left the X-Men, something changed in everyone. No one smiled like they used to. No one talked to each other as much. Even the mansion seemed darker. She was sort of what kept the X-Men living. And everyone knew it. Except Helena. 

She was the kind that couldn't see her own accomplishments, who could never accept a kind word. After all, that's how she had been trained. She couldn't trust, she couldn't accept, and she never even considered love. That was, of course, until she met Remy LeBeau.

Although she insisted that nothing was going on with the two, both Remy and Helena knew better. Remy became the reason that Helena breathed and Helena became the only reason he bothered doing any thing right. From day one, the two were inseparable. Even Rogue, who still loved Remy, agreed that the couple were perfect for each other.

But one day, something happen and it spooked Helena. After that, Helena didn't come out of her room any more. She kept it locked all the time, insisting that she could take care of herself and that she didn't need any one to take care of her. Not even Remy.

Then, one day, she just packed her things and left. They all tried their best to talk her out of it, telling her that Remy needed her, that he would be lost without her, but it was like she didn't care. The entire time, she just kept her back to her friends and packed. Sometimes, they later realised, it was as if she didn't even know they were in the room.

When Helena announced to the Institute that she was leaving, that a matter of great importance had come up, no one could believe that she was actually serious about leaving.

"What is this about?" Charles demanded.

"Something came up," was all she said.

"What something, Helena?" Jean inquired.

Logan just peered over her way, not able to take his eyes off of her. It was if he was searching for the answer. At times, Helena realised he was staring at her, and she looked his way, her eyes hard but so fragile. He could tell that she was trying to keep it together, but she shook like a leaf on a rainy day. Her entire manner cried, "Help!", but she couldn't ask. And that's what hurt Logan the most: that she didn't trust him.

With exception to Jean, Helena had been the closest thing to family that Logan had _any where_. They understood each other, and even when Logan was pissed off, Helena stuck around to see how the holes in the wall were really formed. And really, Logan never really had to pry with Helena. Usually she came on her own, lying on his bed until he came back to discover her napping. Then, they would talk until dawn, when she left to crawl into bed with Remy. It was their tradition.

And now, Helena had told him nothing. Not even a warning. How did she expect him to handle this? How did she expect any one to accept this? It just didn't make sense. It wasn't like Helena to be able to keep any thing to herself.

What if _he_ had missed all of the signs? He had noticed that before Helena started locking herself in her room, she started looking like she wasn't getting any sleep. But he had asked her about it, and she said that she had gotten enough sleep. And she started talking less and less. Ever since he'd known Helena, any one would know when she walked into a room, whether she'd be laughing or talking, you would know. But for the past month, she kept to herself, so quiet that you'd think she was trying to sneak through the mansion.

"Helena wait!" someone suddenly called.

Logan snapped out of his daze, realising that it had been Remy that called after her, trying to keep her first foot in the house. Again, she appeared not to notice.

"Helena!" he yelled again. This time, she stopped mid-step, pulling her foot back into the house. She never turned around.

"Why are you leavin', cher?"

"I've told you already. Something came up." 

"Das a load a bull, ma cher. Nuthin' come up dat I dunno 'bout," he challenged, his eyes never leaving the back of her kneck.

Helena's shoulders fell and everyone held their breath. They prayed that this would be the saving grace, but Helena's shoulders perked back up.

"Maybe you never really knew any thing," Helena snapped, finally turning her head, eyes full of defiance.

"No, ma cher. 'Tis you who nevah knew nuthin. I luv you cher, an' when people love eachothah, dey notice things, cher. I know when you lyin' an' dis be a time dat you be lyin."

Helena turned her body completely to look at Remy, her bottom lip quivering ever so gently, but eyes remaining ever so defiant.

"I…"

"You what, cher?"

Helena's face dropped and it seemed she was staring at her shoes for the longest time. No one knew what to expect any more.

"I…I have to go."

And with that, she picked up her bags and walked through the door. And that was it. No _good-bye's_, no _see you later's_, and worst of all, no _I love you's_.

Everyone stared at Remy. Remy simply stood where he was. It seemed to everyone else that he was going over the events in his head, his face growing angrier and sadder. He kept this up for 5 minutes and no one moved, as if they feared that any movement would interrupt his train of thought. And finally, very calmly, Remy left the room. No one dared to breath as they heard stomping and angry screams go overhead. No one moved until they heard a door slamming above. After that, everyone simply peered at each other, a little confused. After all, she was the Institute's heartbeat and with out a beat, all of the residents in that mansion were a little lost.

Kay. So. Sorry about the lack of disclaimers at the beginning of the fan fic. I don't own any of the characters associated with the X-Men, but I do own Helena. She is mine. Also, you should review. Merci beaucoup!


	2. 2

Helena sat in her rocking chair, which she had noticed, she sat in a lot these days. To her surprise, the chair had become her new best friend. Everything just seemed to be easier to deal with when she rocked back and forth. It was probably because the sound the chair made reminded her of Remy's heartbeat late at night, when she lay on his chest. Those were nights when all of her troubles just melted away. It almost killed her to think how long it'd been since the last time she really talked to Remy, let alone slept with him.

She'd left the Institute a week ago; it was the hardest thing she'd ever done in her life. Not only did she betray the love of her life, but she'd also betrayed her best friend, Logan.

On her last day at the mansion, when her eyes pleaded with his, she saw the hurt in his eyes. She knew that she was destroying him and it broke her heart. He'd hardly trusted any one before her and he'd probably never trust her again. But she couldn't tell him the truth, because the truth was, she really didn't know what was wrong.

Sure, there was a family tragedy, but they never bothered her before. Especially when it came to _him_. No one knew about her childhood or really even her past. All they knew was that she was Helena and she lived at the mansion, and that was enough. Helena chose not to tell any one, not even Remy and especially not Logan. She knew how they got when she brought up any kind of abuse stories about other people. She didn't even want to imagine their reaction when she told them about her childhood.

Right now, Helena just wanted…No, she needed to be alone with her feelings, feelings that she thought she had put behind her for years. _I guess not_, she thought. 

But it just didn't make sense. It'd been 10 years since the last time she'd seen _him_. In that time, she'd gotten an education and started her own career. She'd even changed her life when she moved into the mansion 4 years ago. She'd met Logan about a year after that, which was a little shocking for both of them, as neither of the two were very open people. 

Her greatest accomplishment, though, was when she met Remy. His name alone sent shivers down her spine. They'd taken to each other instantly. She knew that Remy was sent from God to save her. Their relationship took on whirlwind speed pausing only long enough to slip on the condom. And there was not a thing about Remy that she regretted. She loved it all.

She even loved the secrets that they kept. It kept things exiting. Every little thing that she discovered about Remy was like opening up doors to a New World. When he'd been kidnapped by Bella Donna, she loved seeing people from his past, seeing his former home.

Remy had taught her so much about the world. He taught her that love was priceless; that it was beautiful and sacred. She yearned for more of his love. It kept Helena's world warm and exotic. It had taught her how to breathe again. But above all, it had taught her to trust again. And now, he would probably never love her again.

But she simply couldn't tell Remy that the father that has molested her as a child was dying.

Remy's thoughts were on Helena; they were _always_ on Helena. Ever since she'd left, he'd not left his room. He simply thought about what had gone wrong since they'd been together. Yes, they had their secrets, but she seemed to enjoy finding things out in due time. It didn't even bother her to meet Bella Donna; what could be worse than that?

Over the past couple of days, as he had failed to sleep, he had noticed that he'd taken up staring at the blank walls. He couldn't look at or touch any thing without being reminded him of Helena. Even the scent of her lingered on his pillows. It was killing him.

_Helena_. Why couldn't he stop thinking about her? She had left with no notice and very few words. Not even a sorry. But she haunted him. The look in her eyes just before she walked out the door: so cold and defiant. But then again, that really was Helena: defiant until the bitter end. She didn't let any thing stop her from achieving her goals. He knew that there were some deep emotional scars that were sitting around. She'd never told him, but he could tell from the look in her eyes sometimes. She'd be completely wrecked from her dreams. Her learned that hopeless look. And that's why he worshipped Helena. She never let the past stop her before. She had done so much more than he had with her life and made apologies to no one.

So now, he sat on his bed, lacking 3 days of sleep. This is what he got from worshipping the woman that he loved. But he couldn't imagine that there wasn't a reason for her abrupt departure from his life. He knew it in the pit of his empty stomach and in his tear-drown heart. There was a deeper reason.

Had there been any signs? Had he missed something? Maybe he had taken his curious black eyes for a second too long and missed something that could have helped him now. Remy cursed at himself. _What did I miss?_ He thought. Well, for the past month, she'd waking up, trying to silence her screams. Tears were always in her eyes when he woke up to her whimpering and he tried his best to console her, but he always told her it was fine. And then, there was that odd phone call that came about a month ago, right before she started locking herself in her room. A woman called looking for Helena and when she took the receiver, she went ghostly pale, and when he asked her about it, she shrugged him off.

A couple of days later, she complained about being sick and having a headache, so she stayed in her room. Helena assured everyone that she would be okay in a couple of days. Then a couple of days turned into a week, and then a week turned into a couple of weeks. We were all worried sick, but she assured us that she'd be okay and refused to go to infirmary. And then a couple of weeks turned into a month and now she's gone.

The only thing that Remy couldn't help but wonder was who called for Helena? What did they say to make her leave?

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, bringing Remy unwillingly back into reality. "Remy, there's a phone call."

Remy went to the door, stumbling a couple of times in the process. He fumbled with the doorknob before the door swung open to reveal Jean Grey standing in front of him.

She handed him the receiver. "The phone is for Helena. I wasn't sure what to do."

Remy stood dumbstruck. He looked at the receiver like it was a foreign item, hesitating to touch it.

By this time, Professor Xavier had joined the duo in front of Remy's room. Charles took the phone from Jean and began speaking.

"Hello, this is the Xavier Institute, my name is Charles Xavier, how can I help you?"

The voice was almost too soft to be heard. "Hello, may I speak to Helena please?"

"May I ask who is speaking?"

"Tell Helena that this is her mother."

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to reach her elsewhere. Helena left about a week ago. I am, however, part of her health-care team and she left rather abruptly last week after your last phone call. May I enquire as to why you're calling?"

"Oh, of course. Her father is in the hospital. He had a serious heart attack and the doctors say he's not going to last much longer. He wanted to see her before…" her voice broke.

"Of course. If we come into contact with her in the near future, we'll let her know you called. But I just have one more question for you, if you don't mind."

"Not at all."

"How did you get this number? It's unlisted."

"We have friends in the area that saw Helena. They gave us her number."

"I see. Well, you have a very good day. And I'm very sorry about your husband."

"Oh, thank you very much. And you too!"

The other side went dead. Xavier knew she was lying about where she had gotten the number. No one knew the private extension. No one except the X-Men and close family relatives. But Helena had never mentioned parents. In-fact, she avoided the topic. Everyone knew that. She wanted nothing to do with her parents and definitely wouldn't want them to have her number.

Remy stared at Charles, begging for any thing. But what could he tell him? All he had were his suspicions. 

"Remy, I suggest that you get to sleep. And perhaps you should eat something. We haven't seen you in the dining room in days," he stated as he looked upon his friend carefully. "You need to be in good health."

Remy nodded frantically as he began babbling about pillows and red walls and beds.

As Remy closed to the silently behind him, Charles looked at Jean seriously. "We need to have a meeting. Soon. Something is going on and we need to help fix this."


	3. 3

Remy awoke alone

Remy awoke alone. He felt the empty space next to him where Helena should have been. Tears stung his eyes. _Why did you leave, ma cher?_ He thought silently.

Rubbing at his eyes, it dawned on him that he wasn't getting back to sleep. He looked at the clock on the nightstand. 1 p.m. He'd never slept that long before, especially with Helena in the room. She loved her morning shags.

Remy sat up in bed, looking around the room. There was hardly a trace of her left. Even her pictures in his room had been taken. His insides ached as he remembered throwing the photos in the closet, but he couldn't stand looking at her face. Too many memories had been embedded into the glow in her eyes.

In the distance, he could hear a doorbell ringing, followed by surprised greetings. _It must be a guest of Charles'_, Remy thought. But he could hear muffled gasps, as if trying to sneak someone through the mansion.

"I'll go in sugah," Remy heard outside of his door. "It might kill him to see you now."

Remy sprang from the bed and ran into the bathroom before he heard a knock on the door. He eased the door shut as someone knocked.

"Come in!" he called to them.

Someone opened the bedroom door and walked in, but remained silent for a moment, apparently looking for Remy.

"Gambit, I jus gotta grab somethin' from your room. I hope you don't mind."

"Nah cher. Take what ya need."

In the hallway, Remy could hear Helena's voice, but it sounded odd. It was different from what he was used to hearing. Her voice was flat; empty. There was no emotion and it almost seemed like she was dead.

Remy opened the bathroom door, only vaguely seeing Rogue dig around in some drawers, paying no mind to him. He stepped over to the bedroom door, catching Helena by surprise.

"Oh, Remy." Her face flushed as her eyes dropped.

"Helena," Remy stuttered. "How…How have you been?"

"Good," she muttered. She never looked up at his face.

The Professor came upon them in the hallway, looking grimly on the situation.

"Helena," he called.

Helena looked over at him, grateful for the distraction. She couldn't stand fighting back the tears any more.

"Helena, how have you been dear?"

"I've been okay," Helena said matter-of-factly.

Charles was worried. She was never this quiet. She always had something to add. Even Helena always said that she loved to explain things, and her current attitude was just unlike her.

"Helena, may we talk?" he asked cautiously.

"What's there to talk about?" she snapped back. Even Remy felt that backlash.

_There is something going on here that you're not telling people_, Charles told her.

A hateful scorn spread across her face. However, for the first time today, there was depth in Helena's eyes and it made Charles feel a little better.

_My life is none of your business_, Helena answered back.

_If you're hurting, you need to tell someone. This double-life you've started is not becoming_, he replied calmly.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Helena saw Logan staring at her. She turned to him, letting out a small gasp. First Remy and now Logan. It was too much to handle. She felt the room moving and it slowly dawned on her that she was the one moving.

She had run down the hall, past Logan, not really having any specific place in mind.

It seemed like she had been running forever when she finally reached the pond. She stood there only a moment and then her knees gave out. Sobs shook her body. She shouldn't have come to the mansion, but it was like she needed to prove something. She needed everyone to think that things were okay, even though she knew everyone knew otherwise.

"Oh God!" she screamed aloud. "Where the fuck are you? Where the fuck where you when I was a kid!" she sobbed. _There can be no God_, she thought to herself.

"Hey kid," Logan said from behind her. "How're you doin?"

"What does it look like, Logan? Does everything look peachy? Cause if it does, maybe it'll kick in and I'll feel really fucking peachy."

"What're you doing, kid? What's all this for? Are you trying to kill people, cause that's what you're doing," Logan spat.

Helena stood up, looking directly into his eyes. "What do you mean, what am I doing? I'm trying to get away from everything. This whole atmosphere is so confining. I needed to get away. I don't owe any one an explanation!"

Logan growled deep in his throat. "You don't owe an explanation?! What about Remy? He locked himself in his room the day you left and he hasn't come out since. You don't think you at least owe him one?"

Helena choked. She hadn't imagined Remy would have taken it so hard. She remained silent.

"Listen kid, somethin' don't smell right. The mansion got a call from your mother yesterday. She said your old man's sick. Why didn't you even mention parents? Why haven't you gone to him?"

_She called here? How did she get the number_, she thought to herself. This overwhelming feeling came over Helena. She lost her breath thinking about _him_.

"Huh? Why?!" he demanded.

Helena hated Logan right now. Her eyes bore into his, but he remained steadfast.

"You want to know why I haven't gone to visit him? Do you," she spat. Tears flowed freely from her eyes. Logan stared at her, his face never budging, even though her tears tugged at his heart. "I won't go see him because he deserves everything he's suffering through and more! If he wants to reconcile with me, that's just too bad. I don't forgive him for all the things he did!"

Remy had been watching the conversation for some time and he couldn't believe what was coming from Helena's mouth. She'd never spoken of any one this way.

"What did he do to you, kid?"

"He…" her voice broke. "He used to…To sneak into my room at night."

Remy's heart sank. These were the emotional scars that he had sensed.

"He used to…and I told my mom, but she...she didn't believe me."

"He hurt you, didn't he kid."

Helena broke down into tears flying into Logan's arms. Her sobs shook both their bodies.

Remy stepped out from the shadows, walking to where Logan was. Logan nodded and let go of Helena, allowing Remy to embrace her.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I never meant for you to find out. No one was ever supposed to know!"

"It's alright cher. Everything's gonna be alright."

xxx

Read and Review please!


	4. 4

Helena awoke to the sun on her face

Helena awoke to the sun on her face. She felt Remy's arm wrapped tightly around her waist. For the first time in 2 weeks, everything felt like it was in place.

She moved Remy's arm gently, getting up as she did so. She walked over to the vanity that stood parallel to the bed. She took a good look at herself; the first time in days. She was a mess. She'd lost weight since her mother's first phone call. All of the pudge around her belly was gone and she found herself missing it. Her hair wasn't as shiny as it had been, nor were her eyes as deep. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd put make-up on.

Remy turned over in the bed, remaining in his peaceful slumber. Helena walked quietly to the door and left the room, leaving Remy to sleep.

As soon as she started walking, she could hear the students in the War Room. She moved past it, walking instead towards Charles' office, where she could hear a heated discussion just outside the closed door.

"What are we going to do with her?"

"What do you mean, 'What are we going to do with her?'"

"How are we going to take care of the situation with Helena. There's obviously something bigger here. She we force her to see her father?"

"We can't do – "

Helena walked into the room, causing a collective gasp. Everyone looked at each other, not sure what to do.

"Well?" she asked. "Are you going to continue?"

"Helena, how are you feeling?" Jean attempted.

"Just peachy, Jean. Just fucking peachy."

"Now, now. No need for that kind of language in here," Charles said. "However, welcome to the discussion."

Logan placed his hand on Helena's shoulder, his way of acknowledging her presence in the conversation.

"We were just discussing the situation with your father. Have you decided what course of action to take?" asked Charles.

"What course of action? There is no course of action. I have no intention of seeing him. And, no, you can't force me."

Logan turned Helena to look at him. "You should go see him."

Helena's eyes watered, escaping his grasp. "What, now you're taking their side?!"

"Listen, if I was gonna take a side, it'd be yours. But for your own good, go see the man."

"My own good! Bah! I know what's good for me and it has nothing to do with him!"

"Logan is right, Helena. You need to make peace with your father." Charles added.

Helena moved away from the crowd, placing herself in a small corner. Tears flowed from her eyes. "I refuse!" she screamed. "You can't make me!"

_No, we can't make you, Helena. But you need to consider this. It's highly important to your recovery_.

_But I can't! I just can't face him. Don't you understand?_

_No, I don't understand_, the Professor replied. _I could never understand what you're going through, but I know about recovery and it takes a certain amount of courage and forgiveness. You need to be the bigger person._

Helena looked up at Charles, tears still falling from her eyes. No one had dared approach her in the corner, afraid of a backlash. Charles peered back at Helena, neither of them breaking the gaze for several seconds, causing a certain amount of panic in the audience in the room.

Helena stood up slowly. _I don't think that I can forgive him after all he did; and I can't forgive my mother for not believing me_, she messaged back. _I think that's what hurt the most_.

"Time is running short, ma cher," Remy said. "Remy go wit you cher. Ah promise."

Helena's gaze broke from Charles, slowly moving to Remy. Her crying had stopped and she concentrated on him for just a moment before she moved towards him, lifting her arms to embrace him.

Remy took Helena in her arms, squeezing her tight. A sob escaped from her lips, shaking Remy from deep within.

"We'll go tomorrow, Remy," Helena whispered into his ear. "Okay?"

"Aight cher. We go tomorrah," Remy whispered back. "And we show dat sonavabitch who de boss now, oui?"

"Oui, petit. We'll show him who's the boss."

xxx

Hi! I hope you're all enjoying the story thus far. If you're a little confused, the sentences in italics are telepathic messages. I tried to differentiate them from just thoughts, but it's a little obscure. Please bear with me. As always, please review!


	5. 5

Helena and Remy entered the room hand-in-hand, holding their heads high as Mr

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the song, Unpretty by: TLC.

xxx

Helena and Remy entered the room hand-in-hand, holding their heads high as Mr. and Mrs. Spencer watched them walk in.

At first, they in confusion, not having realised who they were. Then it dawned on them: this beautiful young woman was their very distant daughter.

Helena tried her best not to hear the last thought that they had, but it was almost real enough to hit her in the face. _Our daughter is back_. They had no right to call her their daughter, after what each of them had to harm her.

She shot them both a deadly glare, squeezing Remy's hand as she did so. He patted her hand with his other, leading her to an empty seat in the corner of the room, far removed from the older couple in room.

There was an awkward silence first, as the Spencer's took in the appearance of their daughter. Her long brown hair, deep brown eyes. She looked so different when she'd left 10 years earlier.

Yet, on the other side of the room, Helena didn't even look at the couple. Remy simply stared through them. It was clear to the Spencer's that the two were not going to start conversation. Mrs. Spencer cleared her throat, smiling gently.

"Hello, Helena."

Helena looked at Mrs. Spencer and nodded. She didn't bother to smile back. Remy caressed her hand gently to get more out of her, but Helena was not budging.

Mrs. Spencer looked at Remy, smiling kindly. "Hello," she started. "My name is Ailanna Spencer. This is my husband, Gerald."

"Mah name is Remy."

"How do you know Helena?"

"Since when did you start caring who I knew, Ailanna?" Helena snapped, staring at the ceiling.

"Excuse me, Young Lady?"

"Don't use that Young Lady bull shit with me, Ailanna. You didn't care about me when I lived with you, so why are you going to care now?"

"Come on, cher, don't be rude."

"Oh don't _cher_ me, Remy. It's true."

"Helena, are you going to act this way the entire time you're here? Because if you are, you can just leave. Your father doesn't…"

"Don't call him my father," Helena spat. Her eyes finally met with Ailanna's. _And don't call me your daughter_, she messaged.

Ailanna was taken aback by the content of the message, but more so by the delivery of the message. "How did you do that?" she asked, terrified.

"It doesn't matter."

"Do what, Ailanna? What did she do?"

"She told me not to call her our daughter."

Gerald turned to Helena, looking her straight in the eyes, causing her to flinch. Remy stood up, prepared to strike. _Stand down, Remy. I have to do this by myself_.

"Why would you say something like that?" Gerald asked. "Didn't we provide you with everything you ever needed as a child?" He looked straight at Remy then. "I don't know what she's told you, young man, but we were good parents."

Remy was furious. He stepped forward, preparing a tongue lash. _Remy! Stand down!_ To the surprise of the Spencer's, Remy sat back down, Helena having risen in his place. She leered at Gerald. He simply gazed back, waiting for a reply.

"So, what, Gerald? I dreamed that you climbed on-top of me when I was a kid?"

"Helena!" Ailanna snapped. "I thought we took care of those lies when you were younger."

"No, we didn't, Ailanna. You know why? Because they weren't lies. He started climbing on top of me when I was 9. He wouldn't have stopped if I hadn't run away."

"Helena, stop this charade," Gerald intervened. "You had an over-active imagination when you were a child. Everyone knew that."

"And you used it to your advantage, you sick bastard!"

"Cher…"

Helena calmed herself, breathing deeply, letting the Spencer's soak in what she'd just said.

"I wish I could tie you up in my shoes, Gerald, and make you feel unpretty too. When I finally ran away, Gerald, I ran to a women's shelter. I had Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for months, Gerald. They gave me a rape test kit. They found semen, Gerald. You can check my medical records. How are you going to downplay that?"

"I don't know what kind of permiscuous behavior you engaged in after you left."

Helena was enraged. She grabbed Gerald by the collar, ripping it some from the force, but calmed herself once again before she attempted speaking.

"You and I both know what you did, Gerald. I don't care if you admit it or not. You have to live with the guilt, not me. It's been 10 years since the last time you raped me, and I'm just here to show you that you didn't stop my life. I'm a lawyer, I own my own firm, I have a great boyfriend, and I have excellent friends who've supported me since Ailanna's first call. You haven't stopped me from living my life.

"If you were a real man, you would have treated me like a real man treats his daughter, but since you're not, you have no right to call me your daughter. This will be the last time you ever see me, whether you live or die. Don't think about me, don't track me down, don't call me." She stopped long enough to release his collar and step back. "Have a good life."

Helena nodded at Remy and they left just as they came, silently hand-in-hand, never looking back.


End file.
